


Dreaming I'm Alive

by Yollie183



Series: Muse [1]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Angst, Friendship, Gen, Phanfiction, Self-Hatred, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-09
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-24 17:18:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2589779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yollie183/pseuds/Yollie183
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where people are born with Abilities, Dan's life is dark and cold. Until he gets on a train to meet Phil.<br/>**COMPLETE**<br/>~Sequel Feel My Heart Implode is up now~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

Dan couldn't believe what he was doing. It was reckless, stupid, dangerous even. But he had to. He had to really live, even if only for a weekend.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the train’s gentle rumble beneath him. It was the sound of being alive, he thought. Then he mentally laughed at himself for being so pretentious.

Dan took a deep breath as a voice over the intercom announced that they were nearing the station. Doubts flooded his mind again as he thought of how reckless this really was. His parents were going to freak out.

The train pulled up to the platform and Dan got to his feet, trying to ignore how much his legs were shaking. _Deep breaths,_ he told himself. He needed to be calm.

He gripped the strap of his bag tightly enough to whiten his knuckles, it kept his hands from shaking.

The platform was crowded and for a moment Dan’s vision blurred around the edges. He gasped in a breath, forcing himself to just stay calm.

“It’s holding me, morphing me...” Dan whispered the Muse lyrics under his breath. It helped. Muse always helped to keep him level.

He was focusing on keeping his heart rate even and didn't notice the dark-haired guy until he actually collided with him.

“Dan?” a voice asked as Dan stumbled backwards a step.

“Phil?” Dan looked up into blue eyes and a smiling face. Before he could say anything else he was enveloped in a hug.

“Hi!” Phil said as he let Dan go, still smiling.

Dan felt the corners of his mouth pull up.

“Hi,” he answered back, feeling suddenly shy and awkward. He looked down, hunching his shoulders a bit. He hated being so tall.

Phil led the way out of the station, babbling about what they could do for the weekend and how nice it is to finally meet Dan in person. Dan couldn't help but smile. Phil’s good mood was contagious.

Dan had stumbled onto Phil’s YouTube channel a couple of months ago, and it had instantly become his favourite. In person, Phil was even more vibrant than on camera. Dan felt himself relaxing, he was surprised by how comfortable he felt beside the older boy.

They had lunch in a cozy cafe close to Phil’s flat. It was halfway through the meal when Phil asked That Question. Dan was expecting it, but he had been dreading his answer since he got on the train.

“So,” Phil took a sip of his drink, “what’s your Ability?”

For a moment Dan considered lying. But this was _Phil._ He took a deep breath, then held out his hand, palm up.

A shadow seemed to curl from Dan’s palm, twisting through his fingers. He touched a fingertip to the plant on the table. The branch he touched instantly withered.

Dan looked up at Phil, dread pooling in his stomach. Phil’s eyes were wide, his mouth slightly open.

“I’ve never seen that before,” Phil breathed, looking at Dan, who felt horrible. He shouldn’t have shown Phil. His Ability was an abomination, something evil.

“I’d trade it for yours any time.” Dan murmured, sure that Phil would ask him to go.

But instead Phil just smiled. “I get why you were so reluctant to visit now.”

Relief was not a strong enough word for what Dan felt in that moment.

“I’m dangerous,” Dan said in a whisper. “I should be locked up.”

Suddenly Dan couldn’t keep the words in anymore. “Phil, I shouldn’t be here. What if I hurt someone? What if I hurt _you_? I should go back home.”

Dan was getting to his feet, looking for his wallet to pay for his food, but Phil grabbed his sleeve, tugging him back down.

“Don’t be silly, Dan. You’re not gonna hurt me. So please sit down and finish your lunch. We’ll talk about this back at my flat, okay?”

Dan nodded, but kept his eyes on the table, willing his heart rate to slow. Getting upset only made it harder to keep his Ability under control.

 

~

 

On the other side of the cafe, unnoticed by either boy, a man got up from his chair and walked out the door.

 


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan and Phil film a video.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this AU Dan does not have a YouTube channel, but his username on all his internet accounts is still danisnotonfire.
> 
> This is really short, I know, but it's mostly filler.

Phil gave Dan a quick tour of his flat, dropping his bag in the guestroom before making them some hot chocolate.

Dan felt a lot better by the time he had taken a few sips of the scalding chocolate. When Phil suggested they play Sonic, Dan nodded happily.

The afternoon went better than Dan could’ve hoped. Phil seemed to genuinely enjoy his company, and Dan dropped his guard a tiny bit.

 

“So,” Phil said, “still want to go home?”

They were making dinner. Dan’s hand stilled over the tomatoes he was chopping. He looked up at Phil and shook his head.

“Nope.” He gave a little smile as he said it, and Phil answered with a grin.

Over dinner, Phil asked Dan to be in a video with him. Dan was reluctant at first, but eventually Phil succeeded in convincing him.

They spent the whole next day filming and editing a video. Dan felt a tiny bit envious of Phil’s Ability as he watched the older boy work on his computer. Phil’s Ability fell in a category called Technological Affinity. It meant Phil could operate any piece of technology without effort or needing to learn about them. Phil’s talent leaned to computer science. He could write programs as easily as Dan could write his own name.

Phil titled their video Phil Is Not On Fire.

“Why Phil Is Not On Fire?” Dan asked.

“Because of your username, silly.”

Dan just shrugged. He was still marvelling at how _happy_ he looked on the footage. Almost normal, he thought.

He felt almost normal, too. All thanks to Phil. Dan had never had actual friends, only people he talked too over the internet. Ever since his Ability had manifested at age three, his parents had kept him secluded from other children. It had been very lonely, but Dan understood why they had to. Any parent whose toddler killed the family dog with a single touch was justified in keeping that child hidden.

But now Dan was half the country away, sitting on his friends couch, eating popcorn from the same bowl. Dan kept waiting for Phil to realise how horrible he was and ask him to go, but Phil treated him like a normal person. It baffled Dan, but at the same time he basked in it. His cheeks hurt from smiling more than he had in his whole life before, and his laughter was natural and unguarded.

 _I’ve never been this happy,_ Dan thought. _I wish I could stay here forever._

~

 

“His name is Daniel Howell. We have his current address. He’s staying with a Tech Affinity in Manchester.”

“Send in an Operative.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!  
> Comments are always welcome!


	3. III

Phil was having a nightmare.

A faceless man was holding him down, pressing something sharp into his neck. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn’t get away from the man.

 

Phil woke up slowly, feeling groggy, like he hadn’t slept at all. He reached for his mobile to check the time. 11:18 AM. With a yawn, he rolled out of his bed, and stumbled to the bathroom to empty his bladder.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror while he was washing his hands, then paused. He leaned closer, squinting at his reflection. There was something on his neck. A small, dark red mark, surrounded by a purple bruise the size of his thumbnail. It was in the exact spot the figure from his dream had stabbed him.

Phil saw his reflection’s eyes widen.

“Dan,” he breathed. He had to check that his friend was okay. Phil rushed to the guestroom, throwing open the door only to be greeted by the sight of the neatly made bed. No Dan.

“Dan!” Phil called, but there was no answer. Then Phil realised that Dan’s bag was also gone.

Trying to push down his panic, Phil rushed through his flat, checking for a note, anything. He found nothing.

“Oh God,” Phil murmured, trying to think, to keep a level head. His eyes landed on his laptop. He would find Dan’s parents’ number and phone them. Maybe Dan had gone home.

“God, please let him have gone home. Please let him be safe.” Phil wasn’t sure if he was praying or just wishing.

It took less than fifteen minutes for Phil to find all Dan’s parents’ details. He dialled their number with shaking fingers.

 _Hello?_ a female voice answered.

“Hi, Mrs Howell? This is Phil, Dan’s friend?” He wasn’t sure how much Dan had told his parents about him.

 _Oh. Hi, Phil._ Was it Phil’s imagination or did Mrs Howell sound a little... off?

“Uh... Mrs Howell, is Dan there? I just want to check that he made it home okay?” Phil tried very hard to keep the rising panic from his voice.

 _Oh no, dear, you must be confused._ Mrs Howell definitely sounded a bit out of it, like she’d just woken up. _Dan’s at school._

Now Phil was really confused. School?

“School? What do you mean? What school? It’s Sunday.”

_The new, special school. The Ferdinand Brunswick Academy._

For a moment Phil was stunned. Then he regained his voice.

“But Dan was here! We even made a video together!”

Mrs Howell tittered on the other end of the line. _No, dear, you are mistaken. We took Dan to school just yesterday._

Phil felt cold as he ended the phone call. Then something occurred to him. The video! He had proof that Dan had been here.

He pulled his laptop closer and opened a browser window, pulling up his YouTube channel. The video was gone. Phil stared at the screen in disbelief for a few seconds, then opened the folder where he had saved the unedited footage. It was no longer there. Feeling as though every bad thing in the world was happening to him simultaneously, Phil searched through his hard drive. Nothing. It was gone. Every bit of proof that Dan had been in his flat was gone.

 

~

 

Dan woke up with a pounding headache. He was cold. He tried to move his arm, but something held it down. Forcing open his eyes, he realised he was tied to a bed. Not the comfy, warm bed in Phil’s guestroom. This bed was hard and cold, with only a plastic sheet. No pillows or blankets. There were straps tying Dan’s body down, from shoulders to feet.

 _Where am I?_ Dan thought, terror blazing through him.

He swivelled his head around, taking in his surroundings. He was in a plain white room, white tiled floor, white walls, white ceiling with cold white fluorescent lights. There was a plain white door on the far side, which opened just as Dan was about to scream for help. Three people strode into the room, two men and a woman, all wearing white lab coats and blank expression.

“Subject 2519 – Daniel James Howell. Age 18,” the woman said in a toneless voice.

Dan noticed one of the men holding a small silver object. A sound recorder he guessed.

“Who are you?” Dan asked. “What am I doing here?” He was the most frightened he’d ever been, but he was trying not to show it.

“Subject 2519, you are in a Home, administered by the Facility for Ability Testing and Experimentation. Abbreviated to FATE.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dan's experience of FATE.

Dan was in agony. He hung from a metal bar by his wrists. The straps were chafing. He could feel blood slowly running down his arms. His shoulders were aching. His feet couldn’t even touch the ground to relieve some of the strain.

But the worst was the tiny metal claws that were dug into his skin in more than a dozen places. One of the FATE testers was standing behind a pane of glass with a small remote control that transmitted to the metal claws. They released a small burst of electricity directly to Dan’s nociceptors, or pain nerves. It was the worst pain Dan had ever felt.

All because the testers wanted to know what external stimuli could make his Ability manifest.

 

They had been doing test for more than seven days now, if Dan’s estimate was correct. It had started almost innocently. They had asked him to demonstrate his Ability. When he refused, they had taken away his bed, then his clothes. When he kept refusing, the torture had started. First beatings, administered by a man in a black mask. Then water boarding. Now this.

He regularly lost control, feeling the soft, cold shadow manifest from his exposed skin.

The testers also tested ways to prevent Dan’s Ability from killing them. It seemed to be as simple as not coming into direct contact with his skin. Dan almost wished he could kill them just by looking at them.

A particularly violent burst of electricity tore through Dan’s exhausted body and with it came the feeling of his Ability manifesting. It was a peculiar sensation. It felt almost like getting goose bumps, but colder, and with a hollow tug in his chest.

Dan could hear the tester’s voices as the shadow curled around his body. It was barely visible, like a trick of the light.

 

The next day – was it day? There were no windows in the Facility – a female tester walked over to where Dan was strapped to a chair waiting for the next method of torture to begin.

“Despite your obstinacy, Subject 2519, we have seen enough to begin with the next phase of testing.”

She spoke to a spot above Dan’s head.

When he didn’t answer, she made a ‘tsk’ noise, then walked away, saying to a black-masked man on the way: “Bring it in.”

Dan didn’t have to wait long to find out what ‘it’ was.

The masked man brought in a small cage. Inside were half a dozen white mice. A tester announced that they would be observing Dan’s Ability in action. He would be forced to kill the tiny creatures.

 

~

 

Phil hadn’t slept or really eaten in days. He was frantically wading through cyberspace, searching for his friend.

He had started with the school, trying to figure out what it was, and if Dan was really enrolled there.

It had taken almost a week, but Phil had finally managed to break through the layers of virtual security guarding the school.

He scanned through the data, feeling more and more sick.

It wasn’t really there. The school didn’t actually exist.

He was so engrossed in the discovery that a sudden knock on the door made him jump and cry out. He slapped his hand over his mouth, staying very still, until he heard another knock on the door, this time accompanied by a voice calling, “Phil? Open up.”

Phil gave a relieved sigh when he recognised the voice, and hurried to the door.

He opened it to reveal Chris and PJ. He’d never been so happy to see his friends. He let them into his flat, then told them about Dan and the school and Mrs Howell and the nightmare and the faded mark on his neck.

Both PJ and Chris were staring at him in wide-eyed horror by the time Phil had finished.

It was Chris who spoke first.

“If the school doesn’t exist, where’s Dan?”

Phil swallowed back the dread rising up in his chest, before answering in a small voice.

“I don’t know.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for what I'm doing to Dan. Please forgive me.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil makes a discovery.

Subject 2519 stared blankly into space, while a tester wheeled away a cage containing a dead rhesus monkey.

It had started with six white mice, weeks ago, when Subject 2519 still had some fight left. This was followed by rats, rabbits and small dogs, then a variety of lizards, frogs and fish. Birds had come next. Then plants. Lately it was primates.

The next cage was inhabited by a chimpanzee. It regarded Subject 2519 with bright, frightened eyes as its cage was fitted closely to the chair the human was strapped to. Subject 2519’s hand reached out and clamped around the chimp’s paw. The chimp screamed in terror as a cold shadow twisted over its skin, leaching away its life.

Subject 2519 kept staring blankly at nothing as they took the dead chimp away.

 

~

 

Phil rubbed his eyes. They were burning from hours spent staring at his laptop screen. He knew he was missing something. After two weeks trying to figure our where Dan was, he was coming up empty. What was he not seeing? Phil looked back at the screen. He had pulled apart the coding on the Brunswick Academy’s homepage, with no results.

Feeling like a failure, he moved his fingers over the track pad, reassembling the code like a jigsaw puzzle. With every piece clicking into place, Phil prayed to notice something that could help him. But nothing changed. It was just more nothing. He wanted to throw his laptop out of the window, but knew that being petulant wouldn’t help Dan.

The Ferdinand Brunswick Academy. The school’s crest seemed to taunt him. Just out of spite he started pulling it apart, imagining it screaming in a small plaintive voice as he moved all the little pieces to different corners of his screen. He almost missed it. An eye. A tiny eye, half hidden behind a silhouette of Tower Bridge.

He stared at it for a second, then burst out laughing. It was so ridiculous, trying to imagine this fake school as part of some sinister scheme by the Illuminati. But then Phil’s laughter died away. The school obviously had nothing to do with the Illuminati, but whoever had come up with the fake school must have thought they were hilarious. The Ferdinand Brunswick Academy. Phil suddenly realised why the name sounded so familiar. Ferdinand Brunswick had been a member of the original Illuminati, centuries ago.

Suddenly, inspiration gripped Phil. Someone had been making fun of conspiracy theorists, so maybe, whatever was behind Dan’s disappearance, had their own share of conspiracy theories.

Phil took a deep breath, and set to work. Forums and chat rooms were his first stop. It wasn’t easy to sort through the thousands of comments and stories, trying to find something about a school that didn’t exist. Even with Phil’s ability it took nearly two days to find something that wasn’t complete crap. And that was only one word, written in caps, and typed only in private chats that dead-ended.

The fact that no one mentioned it twice, and no one elaborated, gave Phil hope. Real conspiracies had a way of keeping people quiet.

Phil stared at the little word on his screen : FATE

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning for something very horrible happening.  
> I really hope no one is offended by what happens at the end of the chapter.

Chris and PJ were talking quietly, both their heads bowed over stacks of paper, printouts from Phil’s search through conspiracy theory chat rooms. They were trying to find any connection between any of the thousands of messages and comments.

Even though Phil was grateful for their help, their voices annoyed him. He grimaced and grabbed his headphones.

“You guys don’t mind, do you?” he asked distractedly as he pulled up a playlist of piano music. The songs were all recommended by Dan, when they had spent hours talking online. It seemed like a different life, a better time, when even though they were separated by half a country, they had felt close. Dan’s guarded smile had only ever been a Skype call away. Now Phil had no idea if he’d ever see his friend again.

It was eating away at him, every moment since he’d seen the mark on his neck in the bathroom mirror.

Biting his lip, Phil scanned through yet another page of wild stories about Illuminati and alien abductions, feeling rather useless. Weeks of searching and still nothing except a couple of mentions of FATE. He didn’t even know if it was an organization, or a place, or nothing at all.

He was so consumed in his dark thoughts that he barely registered the sudden change in topic on the forum he was looking at. It had gone from rumours about Area 51 to genetic testing. What finally snapped him to attention was a thread about someone talking about testing on people with rare Abilities, and how an unknown agency was keeping people in laboratories to be studied like animals. A lot of the comments were dismissive, many more were saying that all governments had such facilities.

Phil was about to move on when one comment caught his eye.

It was posted by someone with the username evan863.

_“They keep the people with rare Abilities in a Home. There they meet their Fate.”_

Phil felt a cold shiver run down his spine. He would trace evan863, find out what else he knew about FATE. Phil pondered the capitalization of the H in Home for a second, wondering if it meant anything. Then he set to work, following the username to an email account, then deeper, sifting through the code until he found more useful information.

He almost smiled as he found out a full name: Evan Tate. Then whatever happiness he’d felt at the momentary triumph vanished. Evan Tate was dead. Had been for almost a year. Phil stared at the little memorial he’d found, obviously not written by a close friend or family member. It was too stilted, lacking any real emotion.

He sighed in defeat, clicking back to the cryptic comment about the Home and FATE. Then he noticed the date. He made sure of it. The comment had been left in the forum in the same week that the memorial had been posted. Coincidence? Phil didn’t know. He needed more information. He dug deeper into Evan Tate’s life and death. Born in Glasgow. Went to a school there until age 10. Then nothing until the report of his death. Phil searched for his parents. Raised by a single mother who died when he was 13. Phil searched for a date of death. He found one in a funeral report in a church archive. Evan Tate had died the day after the comment had been left. He had been only 19 years old. Phil searched around some more, then found something that had his pulse racing. He was looking at a report from a coroner. It gave the date and time of death, but no cause. The space was left blank. Staring at the empty dotted line, Phil felt at once too warm and too cold. This was it. Something major, something truly terrifying.

The music from his headphones was building to a crescendo, each strike of a piano key like a razor against his nerves.

He was up against a rumour, a theory, and he had no idea how to fight it.

How do you fight FATE?

 

~

 

The Testers were arguing in furious whispers. Subject 2519 didn’t bother trying to figure out what had caused the dissent. Finally, one young woman in a white lab coat left the partitioned area, her footsteps fading down the tiled corridor.

“Proceed.” The head Tester finally said over the intercom.

A door opened and two masked men entered, leading a little girl between them.

Subject 2519 barely spared her a glance, only enough to notice that she was very obviously mentally disabled.

As they led her closer, Subject 2519 shrunk into himself. _Wrong._ A voice in his mind said. _This is wrong. This is murder. This is evil._

Subject 2519 held his free hand against his chest, his fingers knotting in the cloth of his shirt, so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He curled into himself as much as his restraints would allow. He shook his head. He hadn’t spoken in so long, his voice was entirely gone. He kept shaking his head, his ragged breaths loud in his ears.

One of the masked men put the girl’s hand on his forearm, clamping his own gloved hand over hers, so neither she, nor Subject 2519, could pull away.

They administered the worst neural stimuli Subject 2519 had yet experienced. He screamed wordlessly in pain, trying his best to hold back his Ability. It wasn’t enough. The shadow curled over the girls fingers. Subject 2519 held her empty gaze as long as he could, begging silently for her forgiveness. Finally he had to look away. He heard her body drop to the floor.

Dan raised his eyes, watching them carry her small body away.

 _Murderer._ The voice inside his head said coldly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Evan Tate is a shameless combo of Evan Peters and Tate Langdon. I was too lazy too think of anything original.  
> The voice in Dan's mind is just his thoughts, he is not schizophrenic, just to make it clear.
> 
> I am really sorry about the disabled girl. I really don't want to offend anyone, I'm just trying to show the clinical inhumanity of FATE.
> 
> Thanks for reading and to everyone who's commented and left kudo's! <3 <3 <3


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are planned.

Phil’s hand was shaking as he lifted the mug of coffee to his lips. A small part of his mind wondered how long a person can survive without sleep. It didn’t matter though. After weeks of agonizing he finally had all the answers. He knew where Dan was.

Chris and PJ were sat across the table from him, with tired, but relieved, expressions on their faces.

Phil explained everything he had learned to them.

How there was a vast organisation called Domus Incorporated. How they had set up Facilities for Ability Testing and Experimentation called Homes in almost every country on earth. Phil explained that Domus Inc. didn’t exist so far as government agencies were aware. They had been operating in almost HYDRA-like secrecy since the 15th century.

Phil showed them a simplified version of how he had broken into Domus servers and uncovered the biggest secret the world had ever seen.

“I still don’t really understand,” PJ said. “If their computers are off the grid, how’d you hack them?”

Phil gave a tiny smile. “One of their employees connected his phone to his computer. It had a network connection that I used to connect the computer to the internet. I could barely believe anyone was capable of such stupidity.”

“But can’t they trace it back to you?” Chris asked.

Phil shook his head. “They’ll be able to trace it back as far as a computer in an internet-cafe in North Korea. It just goes in circles from there.”

 

The three boys enjoyed a small moment of triumph before tackling the most obvious question.

“What do we do now?” PJ was the first to ask it.

“We expose them. We notify the world’s media. They will have no choice but to shut down. And even if they try to rebuild, it will take years, and the world will be on the lookout.” Phil was happy his voice came out certain and confident.

“Phil,” Chris spoke slowly, “if you were running this thing, and you wanted to come out of it as clean as possible, what would you do if it were exposed?”

Phil frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, if I had hundreds of people who have been used as labrats, and who can testify about how they were treated... well, I’d get rid of them, along with anyone who can incriminate me.”

Phil felt horrified as Chris’ meaning became clear. Of course. To get away with a crime, you had to destroy the evidence. Thinking about it on a global scale was too much for Phil to take. No way could they save every person in every Home in the world. He swallowed back the bitter taste of what he was about to say.

“We get Dan out. Anyone else we can, too. But the only way to help everyone else is to shut Domus and FATE down, no matter the cost.”

 

They spent the better part of three days planning and preparing their rescue mission. Phil couldn’t help but feel that it was a fluke that Chris and PJ’s Abilities were perfect for this.

Chris, with his Ability to shapeshift into other people, would disguise himself as an inspector from Domus Inc. Thanks to Phil’s hacking skills, they even had the forms and control sheets the inspectors use, as well all their bios.

PJ and Phil would accompany him, pretending to be interns. Because of PJ’s Ability to make people believe whatever he told them, they could be relatively certain the story would be accepted by the Testers and Handlers.

Then they would find Dan, and try to help as many others as possible.

As soon as they had Dan a safe distance from the Home, Phil would send all the files retrieved from Domus Inc. to the world’s news media, as well as every agency from every government on earth.

 

FATE had nothing on them.

 

~

 

“Sir, I think we might have been hacked.”

“Nonsense. Domus Inc. has the best internet security on the planet.”

“Nevertheless, sir, I think we’ve been hacked.”

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's read and left kudo's!
> 
> Almost done, hope you enjoy!


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rescue mission...

The building looked like a hospital. A brick and glass monolith in the middle of nowhere. Phil stared at the doors. No one was entering or leaving.

“Ready?” PJ asked.

Chris, who was disguised as Inspector Theodore Brown, nodded slowly.

“Yep,” Phil answered, giving his friends a little smile. If they got out of this alive, he was going to spend the next ten years showing them how much he appreciated that they were risking their lives for him and Dan.

“Let’s go.” Phil was happy his voice remained steady, even though his hands were trembling as they approached the entrance. He and PJ walked half a step behind Chris, who moved with a confidence Phil envied.

Phil held his breath as Chris stepped up to the reception desk, showing his ID, made by a friend from uni, to the pretty young receptionist.

She gave a polite smile. “Welcome Inspector. Will these gentlemen be joining you?”

“Yes. They are two of our most promising recruits,” Chris answered. Phil resisted the urge to glance at PJ.

The receptionist paged a Dr. Mason to the lobby. She was a thin, middle aged woman wearing a crisp white lab coat. She welcomed them to the Home, then asked them to follow her. Phil tried to remember as much of the layout of the building as possible, but it was difficult with all the corridors a uniform, sterile white. The were shown quickly through the first floor, which consisted mostly of offices. The second floor had two big laboratories, filled with rows of workbenches. In the second laboratory, three people, all wearing white lab coats, were grouped around a microscope. They seemed excited by whatever they were studying. Dr. Mason led them over, asking the Testers – as she referred to them – to share their findings with Inspector Brown.

“Well, we took a tissue sample from one of our Subjects to do some tests. What we discovered is that the cells themselves seem to generate the Subjects Ability.”

Chris nodded, motioning to the microscope. “Mind if we have a look? It seems quite fascinating.”

The Tester who had spoken nodded. Phil looked into the microscope, not sure for a second what he was seeing. Then he realised that the shapes were cells, and that the dark spots between them were the Subject’s Ability manifesting.

“If I may,” Phil asked the Tester, hoping his voice didn’t break, “what is this Ability?”

The Tester had a greedy look in his eyes when he spoke. “It’s a death Ability. We’ve never seen anything like it.”

Phil nodded, stepping aside for PJ to look through the microscope.

Chris thanked the Testers for sharing their discovery, then nodded to Dr. Mason to continue.

The third floor was taken up entirely by the animal testing department. They only lingered long enough for Chris to tick all the boxes on his inspection sheets, then they headed to the next floor.

Phil hadn’t been prepared for this. Corridor after corridor of cells. Plain white boxes with white metal doors that bolted from the outside. Plain white walls, white tiled floors, white metal-frame beds. No windows, nothing colourful.

“How many cells are occupied?” PJ asked, looking at the locked doors around them.

“56 on this floor, 42 on the fifth floor.” Dr. Mason answered.

Phil glanced at Chris, then looked back at Dr. Mason. 98 people. Phil had expected half that. He suddenly realised how impossible this rescue mission really was. But they were here now, it had to be done. He nodded to PJ, who turned to Dr. Mason with a charming smile.

“Dr. Mason,” PJ’s voice took on a different quality, as if he was speaking from two places, with two sets of vocal chords. “You will take us to the cell where they’re keeping Daniel Howell. You will do this now and ask no questions.”

Dr. Mason blinking, her eyes glazing over for a second. “No, why would I? Who are you?”

PJ gripped her arm, forcing her to look at him. “I am from Domus. I am of superior rank. You will follow the orders I give you, without question, because that is part of your job. Do you understand?”

Phil felt goose bumps rise on his skin. He’d never seen PJ use his Ability in this way before.

Dr. Mason nodded. “Of course, sir.”

She led them down a couple more corridors, then paused.

“What’s –“ Chris started, but he was interrupted by a sudden high-pitched sound. Dr. Mason dropped to the floor, her hands pressed over her ears. Blood was seeping from between her fingers.

“PJ, was that you?” Chris asked, stepped backward from Dr. Mason whose face was contorted in agony. She didn’t make a sound, even though her mouth was open as if to scream.

“No,” PJ was looking around wildly, trying to find the source of the keening. “Why is it only affecting her?”

Phil knelt down next to Dr. Mason and pulled one of her hands away from her ear. Blood was dripping steadily from her ear and down her neck. She still wasn’t making any sound, but she was obviously in pain.

“Do you hear that?” Chris asked. He looked like himself again, eyes wide and fearful. “Footsteps.”

Phil got to his feet. “They know we’re here. We have to go.”

Phil grabbed the key ring from Dr. Mason’s pocket, and they set off running toward the staircase.

At the top, Phil paused.

“I have to find Dan.” He looked at the keys on the chain. Two were identical, master keys for probably every door in the building. He unhooked one and handed it to PJ. “We split up. You two take one key, I’ll take the other. We’ll meet back at the car, okay?”

Chris nodded. “Thirty minutes, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Phil answered, then headed left. He unlocked door after door. Most of the cells were empty. Some weren’t, but he didn’t care. He left the doors open, aware that some of the people were following him and others were making their way towards the stairwell. Phil refused to think about them, keeping his thoughts focused on Dan.

He turned into another corridor, opening door after door until he found him.

Dan. Pale, with dark circles under his eyes, curled into a ball on the cold tile floor, but alive.

Phil rushed toward him, only to stop in his tracks when Dan recoiled, shaking his head.

“Dan,” Phil said quietly, moving slowly closer. “It’s me, it’s Phil. Dan? I’m gonna get you out of here, take you home, okay?”

Dan was still shaking his head, he scrambled back into the corner of the room.

“Dan,” Phil crouched down, “It’s me, Dan. Just Phil. You’re safe now, I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

Dan squeezed his eyes shut, them opened them slowly.

“Phil?” His voice cracked. Suddenly he launched himself at Phil, clinging to the older boy as painful sobs tore from his chest.

“Shh, Dan, it’s okay,” Phil said softly, stroking his friend’s back. He could hear footsteps, he knew they needed to get out. Now.

“Dan,” he cupped Dan’s face in his hands, so their eyes met. “We need to go now.”

Dan nodded, letting Phil help him to his feet. Phil grabbed one of the people who had followed him after being released from their cell. A girl, probably in her twenties. He pushed the key into her hand.

“Open all the cells! Do you understand?”

She nodded, and jogged down the corridor, unlocking doors as she went.

Phil grabbed Dan’s hand, and they ran toward the stairwell. For a moment, Phil was sure they would make it, but two armed guards appeared around the corner, blocking their path.

Before Phil could react, Dan pulled his hand free and stepped toward the guards with his arms outstretched. A second too late, Phil realised what Dan was doing.

“No! Dan, no!” But the guards dropped to the floor before he could reach them. Dan kept going, and Phil had no choice but to follow. He caught up to Dan in the mouth of the stairwell. He grabbed the younger boy’s hand again, and they descended the stairs together. They made it to the second floor without encountering any more guards. As they turned the corner to descend to the first floor, three armed guards and two men wearing featureless masks were waiting for them.

Dan screamed. Not a scared scream, but a scream filled with anger. He pushed Phil forcefully away from him, before running to the nearest guard. They seemed just as shocked as Phil at Dan’s outburst. Two guards were dead before the other three men were galvanised into action. The masked men each grabbed one of Dan’s arms, but he just slipped his fingers under their sleeves, and they crumpled to the floor. Dan straightened up, his expression calm as he faced the last guard. The man lowered his gun.

“Please don’t kill me.”

But Dan stepped forward, pressing the palm of his hand to the man’s cheek.

“Dan...” Phil didn’t know what to say. Dan turned toward him. There were tears shimmering in his brown eyes, making them look darker.

He held out his hand, and Phil took it. They could discuss this later. For now, they had to get out alive.

They met no more opposition as they fled the building. It seemed the guards were trying unsuccessfully to contain the escapees upstairs.

PJ and Chris were already in the rental car they had driven here. Phil pulled Dan into the backseat with him, and PJ pulled away, driving faster than was safe on the country lane. Phil pulled out his laptop.

It was time to tell the world about Domus Inc.

He sent the files everywhere. Government agencies, media corporations, universities and social media companies.

He closed the laptop. Now it was out of their hands.

 

The next morning Phil woke Dan with a cup of coffee and a newspaper. He sat on the edge of the bed in his guestroom and watched as Dan read the headline.

“It worked.”

Phil had told Dan the basic outline of their rescue mission when they’d gotten back to his flat in Manchester. Then he’d given Dan a mug of hot chocolate and told him to go to bed.

He’d woken up four times during the night, looking into the guestroom to check on Dan.

“Thank you, Phil.” For a moment, Dan looked almost himself again.

He was going to be okay, Phil decided. Despite everything, Dan was going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who read and commented and kudo'd!

**Author's Note:**

> **THE END**


End file.
